One of the challenges golfers face on the golf course is varying heights and thickness of grass or the rough. Courses are becoming more eco-friendly with many avoiding the use of too many pesticides and instead looking to create new environments for wildlife, and one of the ways they are doing this is to allow the rough in certain areas of the course to grow taller and thicker. Thicker and taller rough brings with it tougher shots if you happen to find yourself in it.
As we all saw from the last Ryder Cup at Le Nacional in France even the top players struggle with it, but there are a few ways that you can increase your chances of getting back into play. Once you have found your ball you need to make the following decision: distance or safety. For me the smart choice is safety, so grab a pitching wedge or perhaps sand wedge and play the ball towards the back of your stance, you will need to “dig” down so move your hands forward towards the target. Make a forceful swing trying to drive the club through the grass to the back of the ball and it should pop out. You may only get a few metres but at least you will be able to play from the fairway. Trying to achieve distance should be avoided as the number of variable factors is huge, and you will have little or no control over the outcome.
Perhaps the harder shot is actually the rough around the green, when you miss the fringe you can be faced with a chip from rough, with the ball nestling right down in the roots of the grass. Again, you need to think about the shot and how you want to approach it. Safety or risk. For the most part safety should always be the first choice, so grab a sand wedge, open the face slightly to help slide the club under the ball and hopefully land it softly on the green. As with the longer shot you will want to encourage a more vertical angle of attack to avoid the club getting stuck in the grass. So, play the ball slightly further back in your stance and move the hands towards the target slightly. Some may feel more comfortable if they place more weight in the target foot, but I don´t think that it is necessary. The key to escaping successfully is commitment, make sure to accelerate into the back of the ball and try to follow through, this may not always be possible, but at least have the thought in your mind. Do it well and you will see the ball pop out and land softly on the green.
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